Eagles lineman indicted on rape, kidnapping charges in Ohio
GUERNSEY COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman has been indicted on rape and kidnapping charges a week and a half before Super Bowl LVII.
Joshua Sills, a 25-year-old rookie for the NFC Champion Eagles, is facing felony charges for a crime that allegedly happened on Dec. 5, 2019, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Sills “engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual and held a victim against her will,” the attorney general stated.
The alleged crime was reported “immediately” and the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office “conducted a detailed investigation,” Yost explained.
The case was presented to the grand jury and is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the Attorney General’s Office.
Sills was issued a summons to appear in Guernsey County court on Feb. 16, four days after his team’s Super Bowl appearance, according to Yost.
After news of the indictment broke early Wednesday, Sills was placed on the Commissioner Exempt List, according to ESPN’s Eagles reporter Tim McManus. He is not allowed to participate in practices and games or travel with the team while on the Commissioner Exempt List, McManus reported.
Eagles statement on OL Josh Sills:
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) February 1, 2023
"The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. We have been in communication with the league office and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time."
At the time of the alleged crime, Sills, a Sarahsville, Ohio, native, was a redshirt junior for the West Virginia Mountaineers, the team’s 2019 roster shows.
The 325-pound Sills transferred to Oklahoma State the following season.
He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent.
The 25-year-old rookie is listed as the Eagles’ second-string right guard. Sills was on the field for just four snaps this season.
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